Life-preserver.



J. MACAULAY.

LIFE PRESERVER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 9, 1914.

Patented May 4, 1915.

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LIFE-PRESERVEB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

7. Application filed September 9, 1914. Serial No. 860,939.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JAMES MACAULAY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex, in the State of Massachusetts, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Life-Preservers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This improvement relates to the class of life preservers which include an inflatable belt or vest and my present purpose is to provide an extremely light, and reasonably cheap, preserver in which special pro-vision is made for inflating the belt member either before or after the said belt has been placed in its operative position on a person; thus rendering it possible and feasible for the preserver to be worn deflated, under a vest or waist, and to be inflated at a moments notice whenever the belt is needed.

My invention is illustrated in the annexed drawings; Figure 1 being a perspective view of a life preserver embodying my said improvements, and Fig. 2 is a relatively enlarged front elevation of the meeting end portions of said preserver. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the device of Fig. 2. In Fig. 4 I have shown, detached, the air pump by means of which the life preserver may be inflated and in Fig. 5 the said pump is shown partly in central longitudinal section in order to disclose the interior construction of said pump.

'Referring to these drawings the letter a indicates an inflatable belt made preferably of waterproofed silk, or the like serviceable and light material, which may be rolled into a small package so that it may be easily carried in a hand-bag or pocket; said belt being provided, if desired, with shoulder straps. While the said belt may be an unbroken ring, I prefer to form it as seen in Fig. 1, and with snap-hooks b, or the like devices, where'- ,by the belt may be readily clasped around the body of the wearer; the otherwise cutv and open ends of the preseryer being tightly bound and stifi'ened by strips 0 of fiber or metal that are riveted upon the said ends.

4 Adjacent to one end of the described preserver is an air pump 0?, by means of which the belt may be inflated and adjacent to the other end of the preserver is a relief valve 6 by means of which the belt may be deflated.

The lower, or valve portion of the pump (Z is contained in section (1 which is permanently secured in the belt, by cementing or otherwise, said section d being threaded in- Patented May 4, 1915.

sired, after the belt has been inflated. With such removable feature in view, the pump is contained in a suitable sheath in the belt; the valve section d being permanently seated in the belt at thelower end of said sheath.

Referring now to Figs. 4: and 5 of the drawings, the barrel portion of the pump d is made of tubing and said pump includes a piston 03" carried by the otherwise free end of a rod, f, which is slidably mounted in the head d of the pump and has a handle 03 by means of which the pump may be operated.

The lower end ofthe pump barrel has an opening 9, wherebyaconnection is made between the pump chamber and the valve sec tion d when the pump and said valve sec-.

tion are screwed together. The upper part of the valve section is cupped and threaded to receive the pump and the lower part of said valve section is chambered as at it, to receive disk in which is maintained in its uppermost position by a light spring m, in order to close normally port a in the wall between the chamber 72. and the cupped upper part of the valve section. The lower end of the valvesection is also provided with a port or opening 0, which connects chamber h with the interior of the belt a.

The letter 6 indicates a relief valve by means of which the ai'r'in belt a may be released so that said belt may be rolled up for storage or shipment.

vVhen it is desired to use my described life preserver, the belt a is placed around the body, under the arms. The handle d is then grasped and the piston plunger OZ is reciprocated in the barrel at, each stroke resulting in forcing air through the valve openings in to the belt a; the valve disk 70 yielding at each stroke of the plunger to allow the entrance of the air and then closing to prevent the escape of the air, and this operation is repeated until the belt is sufliciently inflated.

' The pump (Z may be unscrewed from the uable as a life preserver, it may also be 11ged with decided advantage when learning to flatable belt, a sheath formed in said belt, a swim, the belt being gradually deflated as the valve fixed in said sheath, and an air pump 10 pupil acquires practice and confidence, and located in said sheath and removably atuntil said belt is no longer needed. tached to said valve.

Having thus described my invention, 1 JAMES MACAULAY. claim as new and Wish to secure by Letters Witnessesq e. Patent: FRANK H. ALLEN,

In combination, in a life preserver, an in- ELsIE P. GRUNERT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G. V 

